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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 124 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: sharp · current · bulb · branch · cell · pitcher · ground · straw

  1. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  2. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  3. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  4. The light ________________ burned out.
  5. I've got to change the light ________________.
  6. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  7. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  8. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  9. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  10. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  11. He is an ace ________________.
  12. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  13. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  14. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  15. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  16. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  17. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  18. He was locked up in a ________________.
  19. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  20. It's one o'clock ________________.
  21. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  22. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  23. There's no middle ________________.
  24. Biology is a ________________ of science.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. straw — to clutch at straws
  2. cell — in biology
  3. branch — of a tree
  4. bulb — for light
  5. bulb — for light
  6. pitcher — a jug
  7. straw — a straw man
  8. current — electric
  9. pitcher — a jug
  10. sharp — clever
  11. pitcher — in baseball
  12. sharp — with an edge
  13. bulb — of a plant
  14. current — of water
  15. straw — dry grass
  16. current — happening now
  17. cell — a phone
  18. cell — in a prison
  19. branch — of a bank
  20. sharp — exactly
  21. ground — the earth
  22. ground — crushed
  23. ground — a position
  24. branch — a division

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com